


One Day I'll Fly Away

by queerhazeleyes



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Gen, Wings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-02
Updated: 2014-11-02
Packaged: 2018-02-23 15:42:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2552885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queerhazeleyes/pseuds/queerhazeleyes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek has had wings for as long as he can remember. They aren't solid, he doesn't have any real control over them, but they're there. The thing is, no one else has ever been able to see them. No one, that is, until Emily Prentiss.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Day I'll Fly Away

When he was small, Derek knew he was different. Not just different from his peers, or the children he saw on television, but also from his family. This was because out of everyone he knew, he was the only one with wings. No one seemed to notice the large, tawny feathers that sprouted from his back, and eventually came to the conclusion that no one else could see them. No one ever looked at the wings, or mentioned them, or even gave the extra personal space to avoid touching them or moving through them.

Then he meets Emily and her eyes linger at a spot above his shoulders and she smiles before dragging her gaze towards the screen where JJ is explaining their case. Later she avoids looking at him when she can, glances at his face when he begins speaking before looking to the side or down. She tries too hard not to look at them. For a while, neither of them bring it up, until one day Derek approaches her.

“You can see them, can’t you?” he asks. 

She doesn’t bother to deny it, to ask “See what?” for which Derek is grateful. She just says “Yes. And no, I don’t know why.”

Derek opens and closes his mouth a few times, unsure of what to do or say. Eventually he asks, “Have you seen any others?”

“A few, she answers. “Here and there. More when I was a kid, when we were moving all the time. But those people were always total strangers.”

Something inside of Derek tightens before loosening everywhere. _I’m not the only one._ He lets out a shuddering breath.

Emily is openly admiring his wings now. “They really are gorgeous,” she says, beginning to reach out a hand before catching herself and bringing it back in. “Can you — I mean, I know they aren’t solid, I’ve seen them halfway through the back of your chair, but do you have any sort of sensation?”

It feels surreal to be talking about this — and with another profiler to boot. He only hesitates a moment before replying. “Kind of? Not like normal, but I get this weird kind of stinging when something is in their way. Like when your foot falls asleep, almost.”

Very slowly, Emily meets his gaze. “What if someone tries to touch them?” She sees the surprise flash through his eyes and he blinks several times in a row.

There’s a pause as Derek tries to find words. “I don’t know,” he finally answers. “No one has ever been able to see them before, so no one’s tried.”

“May I?”

Derek nods jerkily.

Emily reaches out trembling fingers, awed when his wings curve in slightly to meet her. Her hand flits across insubstantial feathers that still somehow seem sun-warmed to her touch. A pleasant tingling spread up her right arm.

“Ca—can you feel anything?” Derek asks quietly. His eyes are closed.

“They’re warm.” She brushes her hand over his wing again. “What does it feel like to you?”

Derek’s eyelids flutter slightly but he keeps them closed. “I—I can tell it’s your hand. Usually I can’t tell what’s touching them just by the sensation. It’s…nice.”

Eventually Emily withdraws her hand, cheeks pink. Derek opens his eyes a moment later. She looks embarrassed, not quite meeting his eyes and rubbing gently at the palm of her right hand as if to chase away the phantom touch. Deliberately, he ducks his head to catch her eye and smiles. The one she offers in return is blinding.


End file.
